US, EU sanctions on more Russia firms; Big money and a tech bubble; Blurring the line between man and machine; Canada for wifi in the woods

1 US, EU sanctions on more Russia firms (Khaleej Times) The US has imposed new sanctions on seven Russian officials and 17 firms linked to President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle even as the European Union added 15 more officials to its sanctions list. Deepening the worst East-West showdown since the end of the Cold War, Washington is also tightening licensing requirements for certain hi-tech exports to Russia that could have a military use.

“The United States has taken further action in response to Russia’s continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts that undermine Ukraine’s democracy and threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement. Carney said Russia had done nothing to meet the terms of a deal agreed in Geneva with Ukraine, the European Union and the US and designed to rein in pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The sanctions follow up on previously announced measures targeting other members of Putin’s political and inner circle and a Russian bank. The measures are designed to build economic and political pressure on Putin, and to try to force a change of tactics in Ukraine. They do not however specifically target sectors of the Russian economy like energy and mining.

The EU is Russia’s biggest trading partner, giving it greater economic leverage over Moscow than the US. However, the EU treads more carefully in imposing sanctions since Russia is also one of its biggest oil and gas suppliers — and the bloc apparently shied away from following Washington’s lead in targeting specific Russian companies.

http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?
section=international&xfile=data/international/2014/April/international_April637.xml

2 Big money and a tech bubble (Thomas Lee in San Francisco Chronicle) When David Einhorn speaks, the world usually listens. That doesn't mean what he says is particularly new or even insightful. "Now there is a clear consensus that we are witnessing our second tech bubble in 15 years," the founder of hedge fund Greenlight Capital wrote last week to his investors. "What is uncertain is how much further the bubble can expand and what might pop it."

As Einhorn so eloquently put it, predicting what will pop a bubble and when it will happen is beyond the reach of even superstar investors. There are plenty of people today who deny a bubble even exists. It's as if the dot-com bust in the early 2000s never happened. This time, the bulls cry, it's different. They're right. It's worse.

Back in the dot-com era, investors bid up technology stocks because the Internet was something new and exciting. Today, investors are much more educated about the Internet, and they are still dumping huge stacks of cash on startups. Not because Internet-related companies are the best bet in town, but because they seem like the only bet in town.

Last year, software and Internet-related companies captured 62 percent - $18.1 billion -of the $29.4 billion dished out to startups by venture capitalists, according to the MoneyTree report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. The report indicates that those industries are attracting dollars at levels not seen since the last tech bubble. Meanwhile, biotech and medical device firms attracted only 22.4 percent of VC money. Medical device dollars alone fell 17 percent, compared with 2012.

Why do investors ignore biotech and medical devices? The main reason is that such technology takes too long to win approval from the Food and Drug Administration, especially medical devices. If investors don't want to back these industries, they need to put their money somewhere. And frankly, Internet and software companies not only offer the prospect of a quick and lucrative payday, but they are also easier to understand. When you have investors with too much money and too few options, something's bound to pop.

http://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Big-money-leading-us-to-another-Internet-bubble-5433806.php?cmpid=hp-hc-bustech

3 Blurring the line between man and machine (Juliette Garside in The Guardian) The realm of artificial intelligence could contain the greatest prize, achieving a union of man and machine that is often referred to as "the singularity" – a phrase first used by the American futurologist Ray Kurzweil. The accepted wisdom is that such a leap, if it can happen, is at least 30 years away. Experts now argue that the moment is closer than you think and Kurzweil is one of the figures accelerating our encounter with the future, as Google's director of engineering.

"The amount of money that Google and other commercial companies will pour into robotics and artificial intelligence could at last take it truly into the commercial world where we actually do have smart robots roaming our streets," says Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield.

Turning the classic industrial investment model on its head, consumer technology groups are using their cash mountains to superfund areas of research that were until now the preserve of governments, defence companies and academics. Over the past year, Google has bought seven robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics. It has bought firms that specialise in natural language processing, gesture recognition, and more recently in machine learning, highlighted by the acquisition of British startup Deepmind – bought in January for $400m.

For those struggling to understand why Google or Amazon should want to invest in self driving cars, internet drones and robotics, the answer is data. Masses of it. The parking meter in your street, the collar on your cat, the thermostat in your home will emit signals that can be picked up from anywhere, and Google will be listening. If Silicon Valley's best minds succeed, their software will not only be listening, it will be understanding and anticipating. When it comes to mundane chores such as stocking the fridge or ordering birthday presents, software will be doing our thinking for us.

For some scientists, such as wearable computing pioneer Thad Starner, who is a key engineering figure behind Google Glass, man and machine are already merging. "I would argue that we're currently living the singularity," he said in a recent interview. "Where the tool stops and the mind begins will start becoming blurry."

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/28/google-facebook-amazon-transcendence-artificial-intelligence

4 Canada for wifi in the woods (Straits Times) For those who cannot face social media exile when they head to the cottage, lake or woods, Parks Canada says it will offer wi-fi in some of its spectacular outposts. The federal agency that runs 44 national parks and 160 historic sites - from the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic to the Rockies to Baffin island in the Arctic - wants to appeal to those who may not be able to embrace old-school quiet solace without posting about their trip in real time.

For now, Parks Canada will outfit 15 to 20 of its sites, in a sort of trial phase, to see how it goes, said Mr Francois Duclos. The goal is to bring 75 of its sites online with wifi in the next three years, he said.

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/americas/story/wifi-the-woods-canada-says-yes-and-oui-20140429#sthash.FsyQdfAR.dpuf

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/americas/story/wifi-the-woods-canada-says-yes-and-oui-20140429